Muslim protesters threatened to take harsher actions against the Bar Council if it holds similar forums on religion. The group of about 300 protesters managed to shut down the controversial council forum on conversions to Islam today.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Zulkifli Noordin, who took the lead this morning to address the protesters, said: "If they do it again we will take a stern action."

The first-term Kulim Bandar Baharu MP, who is also a lawyer, declared their protest a success after the forum was declared closed a little before 10am after the police advised the organisers to end it due to the noisy protest outside and in the hall. The forum was supposed to end at 1pm.

Warning :-

1. An intimation, threat, or sign of impending danger or evil.2. a. Advice to beware.b. Counsel to desist from a specified undesirable course of action.3. A cautionary or deterrent example.4. Something, such as a signal, that warns. (source)

According to reports, the 100-plus protesters, who had been demonstrating outside the building since 8am, had swelled tremendously and were in danger of turning more than unruly.

[Strong police presence outside the Bar Council building.] At 9.50am, a handful of protesters, led by Kulim Bandar Baharu parliamentarian Zulkifli Noordin from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), muscled their way to the front of the first-floor auditorium at the Bar Council headquarters in Leboh Pasar Besar here amid an ongoing and lively discussion on the 2006 court case of R. Subashini, whose ethnic Indian husband T. Saravanan had embraced Islam and converted their five-year-old son without her knowledge or consent.

Despite the heavy police escort, heated words were exchanged between some of the protesters and some members of the Bar Council. The word "monkey" was heard bandied about several times by both sides.

Photo credit:- Bar Council

Who were the aggressors in this episode? Surely not the Bar Council. The FRU were guarding a Bar Council under siege. And the Bar Council, a private premises, was indeed stormed by a handful of these protestors who were not going in to participate in the forum, but to threaten and demand the organisers into closing the forum.

It is alleged that holding such a forum challenges the position of Islam in Malaysia. It is not explained how having an intellectual discourse in the safe confines of a private building could undermine the sanctity of a religion - one which is followed by approximately 1.25 billion followers in the world. I can only imagine that in a moderated forum like this (which incidentally, was moderated by Zarizana Abdul Aziz, a lawyer from the Penang-based non-government organisation Women's Centre for Change), any debate or argument which went out of line or was bordering on insults would be stopped there and then. So, how could it have challenged the position of Islam remains as mysterious as why the protestors prefer to issue threats rather than making their views or opinions known in the forum itself.

If indeed the protestors are alarmed by other members of the public discussing about the problems arising out of the practical problems which had surfaced and was brought to the country's attention through recent conversion cases, then perhaps they are in a state of denial. Such discussions, whether amongst the Muslims or Non-Muslims in the country have been ongoing - albeit in coffeeshop discussions rather than in an organised forum. If you were to ask me, the coffeeshop discussions are probably much more heated and vulgar and less intellectual compared to a moderated forum.

In fact, Zulkifli Nordin himself in an interview given to Malaysiakini acknowledged that there are some dissatisfaction amongst non-Muslims arising out of the judgments in recent cases. He felt that the courts have already made known the position and what needs to be done is for the Government to make necessary changes or amendments to the Federal Constitution and other relevant acts to make the position clearer. He acknowledges that the position, statute wise, might not be as clear. Interesting indeed and quite persuasive. If only he had the courtesy to present his views in the forum rather than merely giving a statement to Malaysiakini.

But truly, at the end of the day, the protesters who claimed to be representatives of Islamic organisations in this country, bore witness to who they really are. Whether they and their actions actually represent the virtues of true Islamic faith is for one's interpretation. If at all there was provocation by the Bar Council in organising a forum which allegedly challenges Islam, the opinion which people will make will be on the response to the provocation and whether such response was warranted or reasonable in the circumstances.

p/s: Any comments which includes vulgarities or name-calling will not be published.

Quite frankly, never in my wildest dream had I envisaged our country's opposition parties to have done so well during the last General Elections in March. Perhaps, I did not have enough faith. But then again, I was but only one of the many Malaysians who felt that even if I voted for the opposition (which I did) with a hope that there would be more effective check and balance in this country, I was still pessimistic. How little faith I had - even though I did pray for God to make a difference in this country and that God-fearing leaders be elected.

And then God answered our prayers. And the number of oppositions MPs swelled beyond expectation and for the first time in Malaysian history (or at least to my own recorded history), we had a more equally balanced Parliament. Parliament sessions are looked forward to with new faces, some with impressive credentials. Of course, some same old faces still continue to hog the limelight for various rude reasons.

5 states fell to Pakatan Rakyat rule. And the public demanded IMMEDIATE CHANGES. 3 months or 100 days was all they could tolerate. No more politicking. Get to work and make our life better. Stop arguing about technical grounds like whatever Standing Orders. It doesn't matter even if the Dewan Rakyat Speaker disregards the rules. Just stop raising technical grounds and move on. Our country is spiralling downwards in the eyes of the international public and we don't need all these dirty linen to be put into public.

Now now. To those who are only interested in IMMEDIATE CHANGES and could not care less about what is going on, please allow me to present my 2 cents. But hey, this is my blog and so, I don't really have to ask your permission, do I?

All these while, we have BN wielding the Official Secrets Act and whatever whenever the public or the opposition demanded accountability and transparency. And so, the Opposition never knew what they would inherit if and when they were to take over the governance of this country. It is unlike the taking over of a company. The potential buyer is entitled to conduct a due diligence and the seller is required to disclose all and sundry. The potential buyer knows what he is getting himself into and he knows the full assets and liabilities of the company he is contemplating the purchase. After ascertaining the full background and potential of the company and if he finds that it is worth buying, he proceeds to do so. Done deal.

Not so with the taking over of the government (State or even Federal). You don't have access to full accounts. There is probably far too much dirt at stake. And so, these opposition MP or State wannabes don't know how much assets or liabilities the state or country has. They can only find out after they are put into power - like those in Penang, Perak, Kedah and Selangor. But these people demanded IMMEDIATE CHANGE. They want IMMEDIATE RESULTS. They don't care even though the new PR state government needs to dig into the books to find out what they have inherited and what is the exact financial situation of the state. If there were signs of corruption or dissipation of monies by the ex-state government, they need to trace these monies and recover them. But of course, people together with those who lost their seats but are now warming the unfamiliar opposition seats demand that the PR state governments get to work immediately and forget about the past. It is not important, they say. Move on.

Likewise, I can envisage a situation when and if PR manages to gain control of the number of seats in Parliament to form the new government of Malaysia. There will be growing pains and the public will demand IMMEDIATE CHANGE. It does not matter if we don't know how much is our national assets and liabilities. It does not matter even if Petronas accounts were never disclosed fully and has only been privy to the eyes of the Prime Ministers.

Is it worth it? Are we prepared to take a back seat in development or international fame when dirty linen is uncovered? Are we prepared to make less money because the stock market is uncertain when there is a perceived political instability due to the possibility of certain politicians being found to have committed serious crimes? Is it all only about our personal interests and not for the interest of the nation as a whole? Is it all only about now and with disregard to our children and our children's children's future? Do we move forward to create a nation which is reduced of the cancer of corruption, non-transparency and lacking in justice and having poor human rights records or do we demand that all these be put aside so that we can continue to shout Malaysia Boleh and spend big money to look good?

If you have not heard or experienced any form of corruption in your life as a Malaysian citizen, then you are probably a minority. If you have not known that the ACA only reports to the ruling government (and not the Parliament which comprises elected MPs from both divides) and hence, could not be seen to be impartial, then you ought to find out more. If you couldn't care less, then God help you and your children and your children's children.

As for me, I thank God that He has paved the way for our nation to start to grow for the better, notwithstanding the growing pains that we are now experiencing. I am excited. Aren't you?